Inspire Investing LLC Increases Position in MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU)

Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) by 48.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 22,276 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,257 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC’s holdings in MDU Resources Group were worth $401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new stake in MDU Resources Group during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in MDU Resources Group by 158.9% during the third quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,196 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in MDU Resources Group in the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its holdings in MDU Resources Group by 23.9% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 2,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $54,000 after purchasing an additional 413 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in MDU Resources Group by 238.1% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,935 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,000 after purchasing an additional 2,067 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Siebert Williams Shank upgraded shares of MDU Resources Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $19.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, November 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of MDU Resources Group in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on MDU Resources Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 8th. They set a “hold” rating and a $18.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Bank of America raised MDU Resources Group from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $31.00 to $17.00 in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, MDU Resources Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $21.00.

MDU Resources Group Trading Up 0.1 %

NYSE MDU opened at $18.09 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $18.66 and its two-hundred day moving average is $23.09. MDU Resources Group, Inc. has a one year low of $14.91 and a one year high of $30.52. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $3.69 billion, a PE ratio of 9.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.81.

MDU Resources Group (NYSE:MDU) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.31 by $0.01. MDU Resources Group had a return on equity of 11.24% and a net margin of 8.92%. The firm had revenue of $1.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $969.17 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.29 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that MDU Resources Group, Inc. will post 1.09 earnings per share for the current year.

MDU Resources Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, December 12th were given a $0.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 12th. This represents a $0.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.87%. MDU Resources Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 26.67%.

About MDU Resources Group

MDU Resources Group, Inc engages in the regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services businesses in the United States. It operates through four segments: Electric, Natural Gas Distribution, Pipeline, and Construction Services. The Electric segment generates, transmits, and distributes electricity for residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming; and operates 3,400 miles of transmission lines, 4,800 miles of distribution lines, and 82 transmission and 298 distribution substations.